The Republican Governors Association — or RGA — annual conference is underway. This year, it landed in Scottsdale. It’s an organization with, in their words, “one primary objective: electing and supporting Republican governors.”

Yesterday, Gov. Doug Ducey took the stage at their conference. Fresh off his successful re-election campaign, Ducey heralded his work turning a $1 billion deficit into a $1 billion surplus, but he didn’t mention the $8 million spent by the RGA here in Arizona to help him win the governorship again.

Speaking to Capitol Media Services’ Howie Fischer, Ducey said the RGA’s campaign money was straightforward, saying, "It doesn't fund losers and it doesn't pay for landslides.”

"I have to follow the law. I'm responsible for my campaign," he continued. "And I think my campaign was a positive campaign that not only talked about my record, but what I'd like to do in the future. And it also contrasts my plan and my opponent's plan. The RGA did the same."

As for a statement from the RGA, they said $8 million is simply the median they spent in states during the mid-terms and any nastiness in the ads was not from their end. 

"I wouldn't necessarily say they were designed to scare. I would say that most of our ads were focused on David Garcia's words," said RGA Spokesperson Jon Thompson. "So a lot of these ads we basically just put in his own words and what he was going to do if he got elected governor. And we made it known to Arizona voters what this could lead to."

To expand on these statements and the RGA conference in general, The Show spoke with Howie Fischer.

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• Sonoran Government Welcomes Ducey’s Re-election
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